AudiencScapes

With internet usage on the rise, Pakistanis are turning to the blogosphere and citizen journalism to share their opinions. Hosh Media epitomizes the growing popularity of locally-based, online portals for citizen journalism in Pakistan.

InterMedia recently partnered with the Popular Engagement Policy Lab (PEPL) to conduct research in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan in support of radio programming produced by  Raabta Consultants. Their radio shows aim to provide citizens with solutions to problems faced by them, their families and their communities, particularly problems that contribute to increased violence in society.

Pakistan is experimenting with a relatively new model of healthcare
delivery: telemedicine. For distance-based medical services to be
successful, however, projects must grapple with challenges like
inadequate infrastructure and patient distrust of the concept.

Against a backdrop of intense debate over cutting government spending, experts met this week to discuss the future of international development programs. With U.S. humanitarian and development assistance on the chopping block, some are raising concerns about the impact on national security. Learn More

Is humanitarian aid a public image builder for donor countries? Though this may seem like an obvious linkage, hard evidence for it is not easy to come by. However, a recent panel discussion at the Carnegie Endowment in Washington , D.C. provided some empirical support to the notion.

Journalism can be a life-or-death proposition in Pakistan. Despite this, the media industry is growing and diversifying, with a recent boom in citizen journalism projects.

Beginning last month, Pakistanis with Internet access can now tune in to a web-based TV channel that highlights the concerns of marginalized citizens. With a focus on recruiting women and youth as reporters, “Maati TV” seeks to offer an alternative to mainstream media outlets. AudienceScapes Fellow Sonya Rehman reports.

The U.S.-based Sesame Street exports its signature brand of education through puppetry to nearly 20 countries around the world. Here, AudienceScapes offers in-depth profiles of two collaborations in South Asia. Sesame Street began with a vision of educating underprivileged American children using the popular medium of television. While most international co-productions are pursued in that same spirit, the realities of limited access to television have generated some inventive modifications. Read about rickshaw viewing events in Bangladesh to reach their large population of illiterate children.

By Gayatri Murthy, Research Assistant, AudienceScapesAudienceScapes Research Assistant Gayatri Murthy recently attended a discussion about Pakistan’s current media environment and its future development as predicted by veteran journalists and researchers from the region. While many have been concerned by the lack of objectivity and unconventional nature of media coverage in the Pakistani broadcast media, the panelists seemed to be alerting us to graver problems -- the lack of basic news and information in remote regions where populations are most vulnerable
Pakistan continues to be an important player in the Global War on Terror and simultaneously struggles with homegrown terrorism, devastating effects of the floods and economic adversity.

In the absence of independent and alternative sources of news, Pakistanis are turning to each other to learn about current events. Sonya Rehman profiles SeenReport, a Web portal on the leading edge of citizen journalism that seeks to make the news a “two-way street.” By Sonya Rehman Lahore, Pakistan -- In the first decade of this century, Pakistani media experienced a transformation: The government handed out radio and television licenses generously, interest in journalism careers soared and foreign journalists were brought in from well-known, international media houses to train budding Pakistani journalists. Suddenly, private television channels and radio stations began broadcasting their programs on the national hook-up.